A Friendship From Hell: Stephen Unwin & William McFall | World's Most Evil Killers | Forensic Files

[suspenseful music] NARRATOR: In the early morning hours of the 15th of August 2017, a fire-and-rescue service in the Northeast of England
responded to a 999 call reporting a car on fire. Inside the car, the body of 28-year-old mother of two,
Quyen Ngoc Nguyen from Vietnam. ROBIN PERRIE: The flames are so intense that her body
had been fused into the back seat of the car. GEOFFREY WANSELL: This was an act that
was premeditated and planned. NARRATOR: Her killers were 50-year-old William McFall and 39-year-old Stephen Unwin, two convicted murderers.
It was the evil of all evils. They're just evil people. NARRATOR: The killers had met in prison where they
struck up a deadly friendship. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: When Unwin and McFall joined forces,
they really amplified their level of dangerousness and violence because it's not just about committing
crime and hurting people now, it's about doing that and performing it in front of another individual.
NARRATOR: In her final hour, their victim suffered unimaginable pain and cruelty
at the hands of Stephen Unwin and William McFall, two of the world's most evil killers.
[theme music] In April 2018, Stephen Unwin and William McFall were on trial in the Crown Court at Newcastle, England
for the brutal murder of Quyen Nguyen. Unwin was also charged with raping the 28-year-old from Vietnam.
Covering the day-to-day court proceedings was Northeast reporter for "The Sun" newspaper, Robin Perrie.
ROBIN PERRIE: Quyen was subjected to a horrific assault. She was attacked, beaten, strangled
with a ligature, and then quite horrifically, William McFall injected her with a syringe full of whiskey.
As she was incapacitated and far too badly injured to escape, Unwin then subjected to her a series of sexual assaults
and raped her. GEOFFREY WANSELL: This poor woman has lost her innocence and her life
eventually to these two mindless thugs. And this wasn't just an act of opportunism.
NARRATOR: On the 25th of April 2018, Mr. Justice Morris sentenced 40-year-old Stephen
Unwin and 51-year-old William McFall to life in prison. ROBIN PERRIE: Both men were given not just
life terms but full life terms. They're two of only approximately 60 people in the country who have full life terms, which means
they will never be released. They will die behind bars. WILLIAM MCFALL: Loving cheese!
STEPHEN UNWIN: [sinister laughter] Real cheese! STEPHEN UNWIN: Aah! ELIZABETH YARDLEY: They are considered
among the most dangerous criminals in the country. They are highly likely to kill someone
else, to harm someone else, if they were ever released. NARRATOR: This was not the first time Stephen Unwin
and William McFall had killed. Both men were already convicted murderers before they attacked Quyen.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think we do need to take a step back and say, why on Earth were these two men
released in the first place? They took people's lives away. And the circumstances in which those first murders happened
were particularly heinous. NARRATOR: William McFall's story begins in Northern Ireland.
He was born in 1967 and grew up in the small town of Greenisland near Carrickfergus in County Antrim.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: These were quite turbulent times in Northern Ireland so things weren't particularly stable.
There was always a kind of fear in the air about what might happen next. And he's a child who didn't really
seem to have very much in the way of sort of guidance, and direction, and discipline.
So right from the word go, he was kind of left to his own devices really. NARRATOR: Jimmy Smyth knew McFall as a child.
JIMMY SMYTH: My early memories of McFall was just on the boat in the estate with a pair of Wellington boots on, a pair of shorts,
and just-- just like a feral child. He didn't seem to have any friends at all, but everyone knew him.
People did really avoid him because he was just-- there was something not right.
NARRATOR: McFall grew up with two sisters and a brother. JIMMY SMYTH: McFall and his older siblings
seemed to have no discipline in the house at all. You know, they just-- they just ran wild, all of them.
McFall always had a weapon in his hand, whether it be a stick, or a hammer, or a knife.
Most bizarre one was a chainsaw. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This really does tell us that he wants
to be seen as threatening. He attaches a value to violence. He wants other people to fear him.
JIMMY SMYTH: He wasn't really a violent man with-- with anybody that could challenge him.
But if it was someone weaker, then yes, it would be violent. He would be very, very nasty, very vindictive, you know.
NARRATOR: There were early signs that McFall was a troubled boy with tendencies to cruelty.
JIMMY SMYTH: McFall had an altercation with one of the teachers in Silverstream Primary School.
And later on that evening, he broke into the school, went to the teacher's place, toppling off fish tank,
and killed all the fish, and put them under desks, and between books, and the old blackboard as well.
Just really bizarre behavior. GEOFFREY WANSELL: There's also a story that he killed
40 mice by beheading them. He was a brutal little boy, a boy who set himself apart
from the crowd by his ferocity. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: We do see this quite often in cases of people who go on
to commit horrendous murders. We look back at their childhoods, and they do seem to have animal cruelty within them.
We know that he is using animals to exercise power, to exercise control. When you are a small child, you don't
have really much physical control over other people. JIMMY SMYTH: His actual nickname was
"Mad John" when he was a kid. That just stuck with him. NARRATOR: As a young adult William "Mad John"
McFall had several convictions for violence and firearms offenses. GEOFFREY WANSELL: McFall did what he wanted.
But then, as he grew towards the second half of his 20s, again in jail, he brags to a fellow cellmate
that he's gonna plot to rob an elderly lady who lives, basically, a hundred yards from his house whom he's convinced
has loads of cash under a bed. NARRATOR: William McFall lived on Station Road, not far from 86-year-old Martha Gilmore.
Martha was a frail woman who had bad arthritis and struggled with movement. She relied on carers for help.
And one of the carers to visit her regularly was community nurse, Ann Scott. ANN SCOTT: She was just a lady that--
I just hit it off with her from the word go. And she was a lady that I was very, very fond of.
She did go out using her two sticks, but she would have been very slow, and she was very fragile.
But fiercely independent and always made me very welcome. NARRATOR: In the early hours of Sunday,
the 5th of May 1996, McFall, armed with a hammer, went to Martha Gilmore's semi-detached bungalow
on Station Road with the intention of burgling her. He hoped to find loads of cash under her bed.
He rang the doorbell. [doorbell dings] Nobody answered. ANN SCOTT: She'd obviously been in bed.
Because she was slow, because of her reduced mobility, she was taken too long to come to the door.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: But of course, McFall doesn't factor any of this into his thinking.
Nobody comes to the door because she can't get up very quickly. She's simply an old lady who finds movement
extremely difficult. He rings the doorbell again, no response. So McFall breaks in.
By this point, Martha Gilmore has got up and gone into the hallway. Now McFall realizes that the house isn't empty.
He's convinced she can identify him. After all, they live about a hundred yards apart, so it's pretty likely she could.
So without hesitation, he kills her. He hits her over the head with a hammer. NARRATOR: McFall battered the frail old woman three times
on the back of the head. GEOFFREY WANSELL: This is a violent young man who acts on instinct and also has a vengeful temper.
So rather than risk leaving Martha alive, he kills her. But not only that. He then drags her along the hallway
so that he can get back out of the door again. And on the way, breaks her sternum.
NARRATOR: McFall fled the scene, leaving Martha dead in the hallway, in a pool of her own blood.
ANN SCOTT: The news came on, and it said, an elderly lady had been murdered. She lived in the Station Road in Greenisland.
And I know this sounds ridiculous, but I just knew in my heart that it was Martha.
NARRATOR: McFall was arrested within hours of the murder after police discovered fingerprints
on Martha's front door, which matched those held on file for William McFall. JIMMY SMYTH: When his name came up,
I wasn't surprised that McFall had killed her. It was obvious. The most striking thing was the violence behind it.
It's out of order, killing an old woman. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: We often find this in cases of killers
like this individual. They-- they begin by targeting very vulnerable people because they are easier to control.
It's almost like a testing out, essentially, of a particular offense, of a particular crime,
to see if they can do it. ANN SCOTT: This lady who was kind, who was gentle, who did nobody any harm, who should have been safe
in the sanctuary of her own home, but no, it was invaded, and she was horribly and brutally attacked.
He didn't need to use a hammer on a wee frail lady like Martha. He could have pushed her out of his way.
No one deserves to be attacked like that, but Martha was particularly defenseless, not only her age
but her frailty as well, against a young man wielding a hammer. It's despicable.
NARRATOR: On the 11th of April 1997, William McFall was sentenced to life in prison
at Belfast Crown Court for the murder of Martha Gilmore. GEOFFREY WANSELL: This is a violent man
truly given his just desserts, a life sentence for murder. NARRATOR: McFall was sent to HMS Swaleside in Kent, England,
where he was housed with like-minded individuals. During his time behind bars, he shared a cell
with Stephen Unwin. The two convicted killers struck up a close friendship. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Friendships within prison
are an interesting thing. Because for some people, they will not want to continue those friendships when they get out
because they want a turn over a new leaf, they want to start again. But on the other hand, prison friendships
can often be the most meaningful, the deepest attachment that somebody has felt to another individual
in their entire lives. And I think, potentially, that's what we're looking at in this case.
NARRATOR: Stephen Unwin's story begins in 1978. He was born on the 16th of February in Durham.
He grew up with an older sister in Fencehouses, a working-class village near Sunderland,
in the Northeast of England. Like McFall, he was a troubled boy from an early age.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: Unwin is a face, if you like, in that local criminal community.
At 13, there was arson on a heavy-goods vehicle. There's theft. There's another brush with the law at 17.
More burglary, more theft. Out of control would be the contemporary way of describing him, bouncing in and out of juvenile care.
In the mid-1990s, when Unwin was a teenager, he burgled the house of an amputee of 72.
COLIN DOBSON: Unwin broke into his house. He forced a panel on the front door. He went in downstairs.
The chap was asleep upstairs, obviously, taking his false leg off. Unwin stole some benefit books.
But most remarkable about this offense was that, all he had to do was just leave the house.
He hadn't been disturbed. What he then did, he set five separate seats of fire downstairs.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: It was a crime of opportunity, but it also indicated that he was prepared
to try and cover his tracks because the certain amount of arson was involved. And that became one of Unwin's fingerprints.
NARRATOR: Luckily, neighbors were able to rescue the old man in time. Later that day, Unwin was caught when
he tried to cash in the books. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: He is engaging in quite lawless
behavior from a very early age. These incidents happened before he was 18 years old.
So this shows somebody who doesn't have respect for the law, who likes to create chaos,
essentially. GEOFFREY WANSELL: But the most horrifying part of this story of the young life of Stephen Unwin
comes when he apparently befriends an aged pharmacist called John Greenwell. COLIN DOBSON: He was 73 years of age, a retired pharmacist.
He was well respected in the community. He knew one or two young lads who used to run messages for him.
Really, really nice man from all accounts. NARRATOR: In the summer of 1998, one of the neighborhood boys
introduced 20-year-old Stephen Unwin to the retired pharmacist. John had terminal cancer and was often bedridden.
He lived very close to Unwin, who decided one day, he'd steal a few items from the old man's house.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: Unwin burgles Greenwell, and steals, among other things, a Zenit camera.
A friend remonstrates with him and says, you can't do that. You must return the goods that you've stolen.
And so a very unrepentant, and in fact, I would say, probably furious Unwin leaves what's he stolen on the doorstep,
including the Zenit camera. But now, Unwin's got a grudge. You're going to teach Greenwell a lesson.
NARRATOR: On the 25th of December 1998, two uniformed police officers on patrol spotted John Greenwell's bungalow on fire.
COLIN DOBSON: They notified the fire brigade who attended and after several hours,
extinguished the blaze. And once they gained entry, they realized that there was a body in the back room.
He was lying on a bed face up, and it was the body of Mr. Greenwell. NARRATOR: Colin Dobson was the senior investigating officer
on call that Christmas bank holiday weekend. I knew that we were dealing with a murder investigation
once we saw the scene. Mr. Greenwell's body was desecrated, badly burned. When the pathologist carried out the post-mortem,
it was quite evident that he received several blows to the head. We think that he attacked Mr. Greenwell as he lay
in bed, using the Zenit camera. We also realized that he'd been stabbed to the chest-- once
to the chest. So the cause of death was actually a fractured skull and brain damage,
as well as the stab wound. NARRATOR: Unwin set fire to several parts of the house,
including John's body. He stole a television set and a VHS recorder. Shortly after Unwin had set fire to John's home,
the two police officers on patrol had seen him pushing a wheelie bin down the road
and had stopped him. GEOFFREY WANSELL: Where are you going? What you got there? He said, oh, I'm just returning the VHS recorder for something.
Well, that's suspicious, to put it politely, and they watched what house he goes into.
NARRATOR: As the officers walked on, they spotted John Greenwell's bungalow on fire.
It didn't take Colin Dobson and his team long to connect the dots between the fire and Unwin.
They arrested him the same day. COLIN DOBSON: Once he was arrested, and we did a check
and we realized that he had previous convictions, and indeed, he had two previous convictions of arson.
There's no doubt that he was setting fire to the different scenes to destroy evidence-- evidence of contact, any DNA
evidence, anything at all. No one had been arrested. We had no eyewitnesses. We had no forensic evidence.
There was no CCTV in the area. Although he was a prime suspect, we had to build up a case,
you know. NARRATOR: But Unwin made one vital mistake. He'd wrapped the VHS recorder in a bin bag
and taped it with sticky tape. COLIN DOBSON: The beauty about this one was that our own scenes of crime officers,
they have found amongst the debris a roll of Sellotape. The forensic science service was able to see
that the roll of Sellotape was a physical match to the tape used on the recovered bin line
as we got back off Unwin. Not only that, there was a fingerprint on the Sellotape wall which was Unwin's fingerprint.
When we got that evidence, obviously, we placed Unwin in the property. There was no doubt he was the person
responsible for Mr. Greenwell's savage murder, and we charged him with murder. NARRATOR: Stephen Unwin pleaded guilty to the murder
of 73-year-old pensioner John Greenwell. On the 29th of October 1999, the 21-year-old
was sentenced to life in prison at Newcastle Crown Court. COLIN DOBSON: I was watching Unwin at the time,
and in my eyes, he showed no remorse, whatsoever. At the end of Mr. Greenwell's case, I was interviewed,
and I remember saying quite clearly that I thought Unwin was a very, very dangerous man.
And I didn't say that lightly. NARRATOR: Stephen Unwin and William McFall were both in their 20s when they killed frail and defenseless
pensioners. GEOFFREY WANSELL: One question must always remain-- McFall and Unwin both burgled elderly, very
vulnerable people, why didn't they just leave it at burglary? Why did they proceed to kill Martha and John?
What was it in their nature, in their character, that drove them to kill? I would argue that it's a propensity to violence
and a propensity to murder that exists in both men, which is why when you add them together,
they become even more dangerous. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think burglary's are a bit of a sideshow.
It's what these crimes are really about. They are about dominating and controlling other people.
And their victims were elderly. They were vulnerable. This really does add to the gravity of their crimes.
They're never going to go after some muscle-bound man who is more than a match for them.
They will always target those who can't fight back. NARRATOR: William McFall and Stephen Unwin,
two convicted killers, would meet and become friends in prison. Both men were released on license after serving just 14
years of their life sentences. While Unwin was still in prison, he got back in touch with a girl he'd met as a teenager.
To protect her identity, Rachel is not her real name and her image has been concealed.
When I first met Stephen, he was quite charming. You know, the typical teenage charm and lot.
Bit of joked a lot, made us laugh, and we started dating for a little bit. It's like a teenage sort of summer romance kind of thing.
And then, just end up losing touch after that. When I first started talking to Stephen back in prison,
I didn't really think much of it. A mutual friend got us talking again through phone
calls, and letters, and stuff. He had the charm when I was speaking to him on the phone,
made everything seem like it was OK. NARRATOR: In December 2012, 34-year-old Stephen Unwin was released on license
to serve the remaining years of his life sentence supervised by probation. RACHEL: When Stephen was released from prison,
he convinced everyone he was a changed man, even his probation officer. Even she believed that he was remorseful
for what he'd done, that he was never going to re-offend again. ROBIN PERRIE: He moved back to his native Northeast
and lived and worked in the Sunderland area and the hotel and spring area where he worked as a handyman
carrying out maintenance on properties. NARRATOR: By 2014, Rachel and Unwin lived together
and were expecting a daughter. RACHEL: When I first told Stephen I was pregnant,
he was quite excited. He was there through the pregnancy, and he was there at the birth as well.
It was-- it was quite good at the birth. NARRATOR: Family life was great at first.
RACHEL: Absolutely doting dad, to be honest. He was a good dad, too. It's one thing I can see.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Many men who engage in criminal and violent behavior are fathers.
And I would say that none of them are good fathers. What they are very good at is performing the role
of the good father, the doting father, because they're aware that that is going to distract attention.
NARRATOR: And Unwin struggled to keep up the charade of the caring, loving partner and dad.
RACHEL: He was a very jealous man. Stephen was abusive a couple of times. Once, he got all of us by the throat.
Never hit us, but more sort of mental abuse. Convinced I wasn't good enough for anybody else,
that I was his and his only. He was an angry man. He had lots of issues. Especially when he was drinking, he become very, very angry just
at everything and everyone. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I look at Unwin's behavior and what I see
is somebody who is a misogynist. Men like Unwin are possessive and jealous in their relationships with women
because they see women as their possessions, who are there to meet their needs. NARRATOR: While Unwin was living with Rachel,
he kept in touch with his old cellmate William McFall, who'd moved to Blackpool after his release
from prison in 2010. RACHEL: Stephen used to talk about McFall a lot. My first impression of McFall was that he
was just bonkers, basically. He liked to have a good laugh. He Like his drugs. He smoke cannabis.
NARRATOR: But Rachael soon realized, there was something about McFall that didn't feel right.
RACHEL: McFall was very scary. Just the way he looked, that he had a lot of anger
inside him, which was really scary. I never felt safe around him. NARRATOR: The relationship between Rachel and Unwin
was becoming increasingly strained. The couple eventually broke up in December 2016.
RACHEL: Final separation from Stephen, I just had enough of feeling the way I felt. I was never happy for all he did on our little one,
I wasn't happy with him. And I just said enough's enough. Rachel's departure from her relationship with Stephen Unwin
is significant. I think it unsettles Unwin, and he doesn't quite know where to turn.
The obvious person, of course, is McFall, his close friend. And indeed, McFall cements that by leaving Blackpool
and moving to stay with Unwin. NARRATOR: By the summer of 2017, McFall and Unwin,
the two convicted killers released on license, were living together at St. Oswald's
terrace in the Houghton-le-Spring area near Sunderland. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: When Unwin and McFall joined forces,
they really amplified the level of dangerousness and violence because it's not just about committing crime and hurting
people now, it's about doing that and performing it in front of another individual.
So you have that competitive element that's going on. NARRATOR: Unwin's and McFall's behavior escalated.
They stole substantial cannabis crops and tried to get hold of guns. They were like a ticking time bomb about to explode.
In the early hours of the 15th of August 2017, Tyne and Wear Fire Service in England
received what seemed to be a routine 999 call. A car had been spotted ablaze down
a quiet lane near the allotments behind Shiney Row in Houghton-le-Spring. But the inferno was concealing a horrific secret.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: When the fire brigade finally extinguished the blaze, they do discover what they think is the body
of a child in the back. In fact, it's just a very small woman. And it rapidly turns into a murder investigation.
ROBIN PERRIE: The flames are so intense that horrific damage had been caused to her body.
And when investigators were able to get close to the car, they discovered that her body had
been fused into the back seat. NARRATOR: The car had been burning for over an hour,
and the dead body inside was unidentifiable. ROBIN PERRIE: Initial information came out
from the police in the normal fashion that journalists get to hear about breaking news stories,
but there was very little detail to start with. It was a curious case. Not much information was given initially.
NARRATOR: A passport and other documentation were recovered from the burnt-out car,
but police needed more to identify the body on the back seat of the black Audi. Later that morning, Quynh Ngoc Nguyen
woke up and realized her sister Quyen had not come home the night before. ROBIN PERRIE: She tried to contact her by mobile phone
without success. And she alerted the authorities and went out looking for her herself without any success.
And later in the day, she was told the terrible news that Quyen's car had been found burnt out
and that there was a body inside it. NARRATOR: Only dental records could confirm
that the body found in the burnt-out car was that of her sister, 28-year-old mother
of two, Quyen Ngoc Nguyen. Quyen was originally from Vietnam. Little is known about her life before she relocated
to Birtley near Gateshead. ROBIN PERRIE: She arrived in Britain in 2010 when she moved to London to study business at a university.
Following her studies, she moved to the Northeast of England where she worked with her sister in a nail bar.
She also was involved in the management of residential properties, looking after them
and sourcing tenants for those properties. She was a caring, loving, devoted, hard-working mother
of two. All her working hours, really, was spent providing for her family. NARRATOR: Thanks to CCTV footage,
police were quickly able to retrace Quyen's final steps. ROBIN PERRIE: CCTV footage was crucial to this case.
And the first relevant footage was at 6:12 PM when Quyen was seen leaving Glitter
Nails, the nail bar that she ran with her sister in Gateshead. GEOFFREY WANSELL: And then there's
some more CCTV that shows her outside the back of Unwin's house. NARRATOR: Quyen had driven to St.
Oswald's Terrace for a business meeting with Stephen Unwin. ROBIN PERRIE: Quyen came into contact with Unwin
because she managed a number of residential properties, and Unwin would work as a handyman
doing minor maintenance jobs on these properties. McFall would work for 50 pounds a day,
helping Unwin in his job. Quyen and her sister spoke at 7:00 when her sister asked her
when she would be home that night, and Quyen explained she would be late because she had some business to attend to at a rental property.
NARRATOR: At 7:24 PM, Quyen arrived at St. Oswald's Terrace and was greeted by Stephen Unwin.
ROBIN PERRIE: This is the last moment that Quyen is ever seen alive by anyone other
than Unwin and McFall. GEOFFREY WANSELL: Unwin invites are in, having told McFall to hide to conceal
his existence in the house. ROBIN PERRIE: Once Quyen entered the property, it isn't exactly known, apart from by Unwin and McFall
exactly what happened. GEOFFREY WANSELL: Now precisely what happens next, and in precisely what order,
is a matter of conjecture. But we can be sure that Quyen, this tiny, little Vietnamese
woman, is subdued very quickly. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: The attack on Quyen happened over a number of hours.
And at any point during this time, either or both of these men could have decided not
to go any further, to call it a day, to say, no, we're not doing any more here. But they didn't.
They followed it through. And I think they fed off each other's energy when they were doing that.
NARRATOR: Quyen was forced to hand over her bank cards and reveal the PIN numbers.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: So she's been in their hands for hours, and she's been subjected to the worst imaginable treatment.
She's been just about allowed to live so they can make sure they've got the right PIN number so that she can,
in a sense, give them money. NARRATOR: At 9:51 PM, Unwin was seen getting into his van
at St. Oswald's Terrace. ROBIN PERRIE: The CCTV camera at the back of the house captured
Unwin leaving the property and then driving to a nearby Co-op where he used her bank card to withdraw cash
and then to go and buy a bottle of spirits. Unwin when withdrew 500 pounds using Quyen's card.
The PIN number she'd given them was correct. GEOFFREY WANSELL: But then the most horrific element
of all emerges. NARRATOR: At 11:35 PM, the CCTV at the back of the house captured more movement.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: Shortly after 11:30 that evening in August 2017, the two men are seen, again on CCTV,
carrying Quyen's body wrapped in a sheet to the back of her car, her Audi. ROBIN PERRIE: Quyen was very petite.
She was only 5 foot tall and 7 stones, and Unwin was clearly capable of carrying her out McFall
walked behind him, making sure the sheet completely covered her body. GEOFFREY WANSELL: They put her in the back seat
and drive it not terribly far away. ROBIN PERRIE: She was still alive at this point,
but only just. They then drove a short distance around a mile away to a deserted remote lane where
they set fire to the car in an attempt to cover their tracks. NARRATOR: While the fire was taking hold of the car
with Quyen lying gravely injured in the back seat, Unwin and McFall walked back home as
if nothing had happened. Several CCTV cameras picked up their whereabouts as they returned on foot to St. Oswald's
terrace to pick up Unwin's car. ROBIN PERRIE: 30 minutes after killing Quyen and disposing
of her body by setting her car alight, they were in Unwin's Audi, driving around the local area.
NARRATOR: The men drove to a local post office to use Quyen's bank card once more
and withdrew another 500 pounds. They returned to St. Oswald's Terrace around the same time the burning car was spotted
and the fire service was called at 12:34 AM. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: The details of how McFall and Unwin took
Quyen in her own car to a deserted road where they would then set fire to her body, there are so many elements
here of control, of possession. We have taken what we wanted from you. We've had our fun with you.
We're now going to destroy you. And we're going to destroy something that's important to you as well.
Your car is a symbol of your success, and your independence, and your accomplishments,
so we're going to get rid of that, too. NARRATOR: The next day, Quyen's ruthless killers
casually went shopping and to the pub with no apparent fear of being caught for their crimes.
The CCTV images captured on the evening of the 14th of August were the last time Quyen Ngoc Nguyen was seen alive.
Four hours later, her dead body was discovered inside a burned-out car. ROBIN PERRIE: During the four-hour ordeal in the house,
when Quyen was lying on the floor after being severely beaten and when she was close to death,
quite unbelievably, McFall and Unwin then cooked a curry and casually ate it. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think this shows us the absolute lack
of empathy, the absolute lack of attachment, of understanding of other people's emotions
and suffering that these men have. They are just about fulfilling their own basic needs.
They cooked the curry because they were hungry, they wanted something to eat. And the fact that somebody is dying on the floor next to them
is immaterial to them. NARRATOR: Thanks to CCTV, the killers' whereabouts on the night of the murder and the following day
could be quickly retraced. The footage was damning. ROBIN PERRIE: The police were onto them very quickly.
Early investigations led them to his door. He'd used Quyen's bank card to withdraw money from her account
and had bought some spirits with it. And he'd been caught on very CCTV in the area.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: They have left so much evidence, there is so much CCTV, that it beg us to believe
they haven't even thought out any explanation for any of this action. Within 24 hours of the attack on Quyen,
the police arrested Unwin. McFall was actually pulled into the inquiry early on as a witness, initially,
but he was very quickly arrested as a suspect, as well. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Looking at the evidence against them,
it was incredibly compelling, and it shows us how stupid these two were, as well.
They're very brutish, they're very primitive in a way because they're so focused on the violence,
they're so fixated on that, that they're not really doing very much to-- to think about how they're gonna get away with it.
And that's why they don't. NARRATOR: Police also analyzed the data on the men's mobile phones.
The content was highly incriminating. ROBIN PERRIE: Evidence was found on the phones of them chatting
to each other, plotting the attack, going back a number of weeks, and also of them
communicating with each and other people in the hours after Quyen had been murdered.
Approximately half an hour after they set fire to Quyen's car, and McFall took a selfie of both of them in the car.
McFall was smiling on the selfie, seemingly without a care in the world, and he sent that to a friend.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: The fact that this guy wanted to document this in a photograph, he wanted to take a picture of himself
at this time, this is really significant. This is a sort of decisive moment for him
that he wants to capture in a picture. It's almost a celebratory mood. Both men are charged with the murder of Quyen.
NARRATOR: News of the murder spread through the local community. Unwin's ex-partner and mother to his daughter was shocked.
RACHEL: It was on the local news. His picture got brought up, and I just burst into tears.
Just the thought that he'd been in my life, really. NARRATOR: Only the day before killing Quyen,
Unwin's daughter had stayed with him at St. Oswald's Terrace, as she did so on many weekends.
RACHEL: Just before the murder, Stephen had my daughter on the Saturday night overnight.
He came, dropped her back off on the Sunday sort of late morning, just seemed normal.
Mr. McFall was also sitting in the car, but hadn't gotten out of the car. NARRATOR: Thanks to overwhelming evidence,
police were able to shed some light on the horrific events that took place on the night of the murder.
It emerged that Quyen had been sexually assaulted. Furthermore, she was dragged through the house,
beaten, and asphyxiated. ROBIN PERRIE: They obtained a DNA sample using her toothbrush
and a face mask that she had previously used at the nail bar that she ran with her sister.
And using that DNA profile, they were then able to piece together what had happened at the crime
scene in Unwin's house. GEOFFREY WANSELL: As if there could be the slightest doubt
of Unwin and McFall's guilt. Quyen's DNA is found on Unwin's tracksuit bottoms. It was the evidence investigators
needed to charge Stephen Unwin with rape, as well as murder. ROBIN PERRIE: Police were also able to prove that she'd
been sexually abused with a number of items, including a gas gun. NARRATOR: The forensics team found Quyen's DNA on the barrel
of McFall's gas gun, and chillingly, on a toy light saber belonging to Unwin's young daughter.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think parents feel a particular kind of attachment to objects that their children play
with because these objects represent innocence. But those parents are people who have an emotional attachment
to their children. I don't think that Unwin does. I don't think he has an emotional attachment to anyone.
So I think he would have assaulted Quyen with whatever was there, essentially. NARRATOR: Six months after the murder of Quyen,
the trial began on the 20th of February 2018 at Newcastle Crown Court. The most striking thing about their court case
was their behavior in court, especially McFall. He made a series of outbursts throughout the trial.
On one occasion, he made a throat-cutting gesture towards the press bench. Unwin was a lot different.
He seemed to be this quiet, smoldering individual. He was clearly capable of incredibly
violent, dangerous acts. But he just seemed to sit there with his very calm demeanor
throughout the trial, as if he was on trial for an incredibly minor offense. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Behavior in the courtroom
is always really revealing, and this case is no exception. So Unwin was quite cool, and calm, and collected.
And I think that tells us about his coldness, about how unaffected he is by things.
McFall, on the other hand, was the opposite end of the spectrum. He would write down, and freak out, and make
a scene on multiple occasions. And I think this tells us a lot about the dynamic
between these two-- Unwin is the puppet master, McFall is the puppet. NARRATOR: The killers were convinced
they'd found a legal loophole by which they could escape justice. GEOFFREY WANSELL: They're both going
to claim that the other one did it to confuse the jury. ROBIN PERRIE: McFall's version of events
is that he walked into the property and discovered Unwin raping Quyen, and then strangling her.
Unwin claimed the polar opposite. He claimed he walked into the property to find McFall strangling Quyen.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: It's an absolute cacophony of silliness, except it's so awful, so serious.
It demands to be treated as it was, which is barbarism. NARRATOR: The jury didn't fall for it
and decided both men were equally responsible for Quyen's murder. On the 25th of April 2018, William
McFall and Stephen Unwin were given whole life prison sentences. This time, they will never be released.
ROBIN PERRIE: Anyone connected with this case will remember it for many years because the horrific degree
of cruelty they both exhibited towards Quyen and the way that they disposed of her body.
There are no happy endings in this case for Quyen's family at all, but one tiny degree of comfort
is them knowing that they will never, ever be released from prison. GEOFFREY WANSELL: This meeting of two murderous men, who
meet by coincidence in a jail cell, meant that they were more dangerous together than they were apart.
The treatment of Quyen, literally, is heartbreaking. What she had to suffer was all but unimaginable.
NARRATOR: Stephen Unwin and William McFall are ruthless killers in their own right.
They preyed on the most vulnerable when they viciously killed elderly pensioners.
And when they joined forces, the sadistic nature of their wicked ways knew no bounds.
They brutally murdered an innocent young mother and set fire to her car while she was still alive inside,
all for their own twisted gratification, making Stephen Unwin and William McFall two of the world's most
evil killers. [theme music] [audio logo]

Season 7, Episode 1

Stephen Unwin and William McFall met in prison while serving time for previous murders. The friendship they struck up behind bars would leave a fiery path of devastation in their wake in Sunderland, United Kingdom.

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Brief Summary

Quyen Ngoc Nguyen was brutally murdered by Stephen Unwin and William McFall, both convicted killers, in a horrific crime in 2017.

Key points

The Brutal Murder of Quyen Nguyen. In 2017, Quyen Ngoc Nguyen was murdered by two convicted killers, leading to a shocking trial.
Life Sentences for Unwin and McFall. In 2018, both men received full life terms for their heinous crimes, ensuring they would never be released.
The Childhood of William McFall. William McFall's troubled upbringing foreshadowed his violent future, marked by cruelty and a lack of guidance.
Stephen Unwin's Early Crimes. Stephen Unwin's criminal history began in his youth, showcasing a pattern of lawlessness and violence.
The Murder of John Greenwell. In 1998, Unwin brutally murdered a retired pharmacist, showcasing his escalating violence.
Rachel's Final Decision. Rachel decides she's had enough of Stephen Unwin's abusive behavior.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This poor woman has lost her innocence and her life.

Geoffrey Wansell on Quyen Nguyen.

2:45WatchJan 12, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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